According to a new report from the IDC, shipments of mobile phones have risen to 317.5 million units in the second quarter of 2010. This is a year-on-year increase of 14.5%.
For the first half of 2010, shipments reached a total of 620.6 million units, up 18.5% year-on-year.
Shipments from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) rose 40% in the three months to the end of June 2010.
Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program, said that market growth was also expected for the rest of this year, particularly due to smartphones: “Lower smartphone average selling prices, increased consumer interest, and aggressive expansion plans on the part of key suppliers will keep the device type growing above market growth rate.”
Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team, added: “But it’s not just smartphone vendors that have driven the market forward – it’s also the companies with a presence among entry-level handsets and mid-range devices, which have long been the domain of the worldwide leaders.”
The world’s top five mobile phone manufacturers by size are currently: